Political structure

An elected National Assembly of 500 seats was installed in February 2012; a 108‑seat Senate was elected by the provincial assemblies in 2006

National elections

Presidential and legislative elections were held in November 2011; the next presidential and legislative elections were initially scheduled for November 2016 but have been postponed until December 23rd 2018

Head of state

Joseph Kabila

National government

As part of a political agreement signed in October 2016, a government composed of 67 members—20 more than the previous administration—which includes elements of the opposition, was appointed in November 2016. A new prime minister was appointed in April 2017

Main political parties

The Parti du peuple pour la reconstruction et la démocratie (PPRD), Mr Kabila's party, dominates the regime, but there are several others that form part of the pro-Kabila coalition, the Majorité présidentielle (MP), including the Parti lumumbiste unifié (Palu); the main opposition parties are the Union pour la démocratie et le progrès social (UPDS), the Union pour la nation congolaise (UNC) and the Mouvement de libération du Congo (MLC), although both the UPDS and the MLC are internally divided. The broad coalition, known as the Rassemblement, includes the majority of opposition parties